


competitive assholes in love

by Flowerparrish



Series: winterhawk bingo [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bingo Fill, Fluff, Love It or List It AU, M/M, although that ended up being a relatively small part of the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 15:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flowerparrish/pseuds/Flowerparrish
Summary: Clint and Bucky have been competitive as fuck from the moment they met.





	competitive assholes in love

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo Square: Fake not-dating

Clint and Bucky have been competitive as fuck from the moment they met.

The moment they met, of course, may have predisposed them to this. Someone at their network decided to combine the best of both worlds—a home renovation show with a house-hunting show to draw in viewers from each variety—Keep It or Leave It was born.

More or less, they were under contract with the network, so when they both got shoved on the show, they made the best of it.

It’s in the show’s _design _that they would be competitive, though. They’re literally competing to win—to either transform the people’s house and make it somewhere they actually want to live (Clint’s job), or to find them a way better house that suits their needs (Bucky’s job).

It doesn’t help, Clint reflects, that they’re both _self-_competitive assholes, so neither of them can give an inch. It makes them excellent at their jobs, though.

\--

“I’m gonna win,” Bucky tells Clint, self-satisfied like he always is at the start of a job.

“You’re not gonna win,” Clint shoots back. “There’s so much I can do.”

Bucky tilts his head to look at Clint and smiles at him. “I know you can, sweetheart.”

The challenge is still lighting a fire in his eyes and his cheeks are flushed. He’s gorgeous, _but… _

“No flirting while we’re on a job,” Clint reminds him. It’s one of the network’s stipulations; everyone likes their dynamic—Clint has _found _the barely hidden corners of the internet where people ship them—but the network isn’t ready for an openly gay couple to be the face of one of their shows.

It’s bullshit, but they’re under contract, so…

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Network can shove it up my ass,” he grumbles, too low for even the microphones to pick up. Louder, he says, “Yeah, okay.”

Clint shoots him a grateful smile that he hopes communicates his _thank you _and _I’m sorry _in equal measure.

“Plus,” Bucky says. “No matter what you plan, nothing ever goes simply.”

Clint shoves at him lightly. “Shut your face. It does too.”

Bucky doesn’t reply, just raising an eyebrow as if to say: _wanna bet? _

\--

Two days later, Clint is cursing Bucky’s name under his breath.

There have been minor hiccups throwing off his plans—info the couple haven’t shared, money they’re willing to spend—but everything’s been situated in a way he thinks he can make work.

It mostly means making use of the basement, and adding a bathroom and an extra bedroom and actually furnishing the rec space.

He’s been holding his breath all day as the contractors got to work, and he holds in a sigh when he gets called down to the basement because, he just knows, something has gone wrong.

“There’s _major _water damage,” Thor, his lead contractor, tells him. “We can’t do anything until we fix it.”

_Of fucking course. _“How much?” he asks, and a sigh slips out.

“A couple thousand,” Thor tells him.

_Fuck. _“Okay. Do it.”

Back to the drawing board.

\--

At least, he thinks, when he gets home that night, Bucky’s looking as glum as he is. “Having trouble, babe?” Clint asks, settling in beside him on the couch. Bucky lifts the corner of his blanket, and Clint snuggles in, seeking the comfort he’s been wanting all day.

“Yeah,” Bucky admits. “But, fuck, no talking about work at home, right? That’s the rule.”

Clint shrugs. “We can break rules every once in a while.”

But Bucky only shakes his head. “No. Just kiss me?”

Clint grins, feeling his spirits lift. “Oh, well, if you _insist,” _he says slowly. He leans in, brushing their noses together as he goes, just a soft _hello, _before their lips brush. “I love you, babe,” Clint tells him.

“Love you too, doll,” Bucky whispers, lips brushing against Clint’s with every word, breath ghosting across Clint’s mouth, and then he leans forward and slots their lips together in a proper kiss.

\--

Bucky’s looking much too pleased with himself when he drops by the house the next day, construction heavily under way as Clint works his own magic. He sighs. “Don’t even tell me what you found.”

“It’s good,” Bucky says. Clint reaches out and smacks him. “What?! I didn’t tell you _what _I found. I just told you it’s good.”

Clint sighs. “You’re an asshole. You’re lucky I—” He cuts himself off. “You’re lucky I tolerate you,” he saves, and Bucky’s eye roll is less at Clint’s words and more because he _knows _what Clint was about to say before he cut himself off.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” he says. “Tell me what you’re doing here? You know I can’t see what it’s going to look like when it’s done, not when you can.”

“And give you a hint about what you’re up against?” Clint tsks. “No. You’ll see it when they do, and no sooner. You shouldn’t even be here.”

Bucky pouts. “What if I just want to see my best guy?”

Clint chokes. It’s not _exactly _a confession of what they are—but it skirts the line. He checks himself, not allowing himself to glance at the cameras around them like he wants to. “Yeah, sure,” he scoffs when he’s recovered. “Everyone knows you’re a competitive asshole, Barnes. No one’s fooled.”

Bucky’s eyes are twinkling, like he knows he’s just scared years off of Clint’s life and he’s proud of himself for it. “Sure thing, doll.”

He leaves Clint spluttering in the house and saunters away.

If Clint thought working with a rival was bad, this is _so _much worse. Working with a secret boyfriend? He doesn’t know how he’s going to survive it.

\--

Clint’s good at visualizing what a space will look like when it’s complete, even when the walls are down and everything’s a mess. But his _favorite _part is the decorating; he’s a pro at making spaces seem larger than they are, all while maintaining the aesthetic that other people appreciate.

When it comes to his own house, he’s a cluttered mess. He doesn’t even bother trying to maintain an aesthetic, because he knows he’s a mess and he owns it.

It drives Bucky absolutely crazy, because he would much prefer an orderly space. But he apparently loves Clint, and so they compromise.

But Clint likes decorating other people’s spaces. He likes finding ways to piece together what they want and working around their sense of style—it’s an extra fun challenge when they’ve got wildly different style preferences—and sneaking his own preferences in there.

There are whole webpages dedicated to finding the accidental easter egg that has become arrows on _some _item in the new household. Sometimes they don’t make it into the episode—a mug or a bowl—but sometimes they do—a picture frame or wall hanging, that kind of thing.

But more than _all _of that? He likes the look on Bucky’s face when he sees the newly renovated and decorated space, his wide eyes and the way he looks so damn _proud. _

Clint honestly doesn’t understand how more people haven’t figured out that they’re dating. Bucky pretty much makes heart eyes at him twenty-four seven, on camera or off, and Clint knows he’s not much better.

The expressions on the faces of the people they work with are worth it as well (if marginally less so). Clint likes making their spaces work for them, taking something mundane and making it beautiful. He likes inspiring awe, and he likes being able to feel proud of his work.

In the end, it doesn’t desperately matter to him whether or not they choose to keep living in the original house. So long as they’re happy with the changes he’s made (and, okay, so long as he wins at least half the time), he’s just glad they’re making choices that work for them.

“Now,” Bucky says, as he leads the couple away. Clint’s eavesdropping shamelessly; he loves listening to Bucky’s spiel about why the house he’s found is so obviously better than the house Clint’s fixed up—it’s the only insight he gets into Bucky’s half of the job. “I know that my boyfriend has made this place look _amazing, _but—”

He keeps talking, but Clint’s gone into shock? He thinks? Because there’s no way they can edit that out, unless they refilm all of it, and the network is gonna be _so mad. _

They all troop back in to the main room, and Clint’s mouth asks on autopilot, “So, have you decided?” They nod, and draw it out like the network has told them to. “Are you going to Keep it?” Clint asks. “Or Leave It?”

There’s a long pause, and then the wife blurts, “Leave It,” and even though she was the one who wanted to keep her original house, she seems excited.

Bucky’s grinning and Clint can’t help the way he grins back. “Congratulations,” he tells the couple. “It was a pleasure working with you.”

It’s not until they’re outside later that he stops dead in his tracks on the way to their car and says, “Oh my God, you did that though.”

“I did,” Bucky agrees. “Wasn’t sure you heard.”

Clint smacks him lightly on the shoulder. “You know I always listen in!”

“You do have to know literally everything, always,” Bucky allows. “Are you mad?”

“No,” Clint says immediately. “You know I don’t actually like keeping it a secret, right? I’m just… scared of the consequences.”

Bucky shrugs. “I thought about it, and like, where are they gonna find people with our chemistry who are also as good at this job as we are? One or the other, maybe, but they’d have to work pretty hard to get both.”

Clint nods. Breathes. “Okay, yeah, you’re right,” he allows after a minute. “Fuck, we don’t have to pretend anymore.” They can go out to dinner and be obvious about their relationship without worrying someone who watches them will see. They can kiss in public. They can call each other stupid pet names on their TV show, and the network can’t stop them.

“I can tell the whole world you’re mine,” Bucky says happily.

Clint laughs, delighted. “Fuck yeah.” He kisses Bucky, right there on the street where anyone could see. “I love you, babe.”

\--

Bucky proposes to him on camera, obnoxiously, where it can’t be cut out. “Oh my god,” Clint says later, after he’s said _yes, _of course. “Did you do that as an epic ‘fuck you’ to the network?”

They hadn’t been pleased when Bucky pulled his stunt a little more than a year before, forcing them to allow Bucky and Clint to go public with their relationship, but the uptick in ratings had eventually meant they’d stopped threatening they’d cancel the show. And Bucky’s nothing if not an asshole when he can be.

“Yeah,” Bucky agrees. “Does that change your answer?”

“Fuck no,” Clint says. “You did ask them if it was okay to propose on their episode, though, right?”

It was the first episode for a queer couple, which was a big deal in and of itself, and Clint didn’t want to take any of that away from them.

“Of course,” Bucky tells him, sounding affronted. “They were delighted.”

Clint thinks back to the lovely women and grins. “Good. We’re inviting them to the wedding.”

“Hell yeah,” Bucky agrees. “Now, less talking, more kissing.”

Clint laughs. Bucky backs him against their car, arms boxing him in, and kisses the tip of his nose. “We’re in public,” Clint points out as Bucky dips his head down to kiss down Clint’s neck.

“Who cares?” Bucky asks.

“Mm, the police, depending on how far we go,” Clint points out. “There’s still some stuff that’s gotta remain behind closed doors.”

“No fun,” Bucky pouts. But then he grins. “Just kiss me once?”

Clint rolls his eyes. “Once,” he allows.

\--

They kiss a lot more than once.

\--

They do a lot more than kiss when they get home.

\--

Clint is _deliriously _happy.

\--

Nothing much changes with the show. They’re still competitive assholes. But now they’re competitive assholes who are openly in love.

It makes all the difference in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave a kudos or comment if you liked it <3


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